Before he got ‘Lost’ or journeyed to “the final frontier” in “a galaxy far, far away,” J.J. Abrams‘ career got off to a very different start at the humble University of New York, where a small town girl named ‘Felicity’ chased her high school crush down and in the process discovered who she was as a young woman. The series not only launched Abrams’ career but those of the series stars led by former Mouseketeer Keri Russell.
Now Abrams and Russell are joining together for a very high-profile project, ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’! Russell is in talks to join the sequel, which Abrams is writing and directing. Abrams and Lucasfilm apparently tested several actors for this role and settled on Russell. She will play Rey’s mother. (Just kidding. Wanted to see if you were paying attention.) After ‘Felicity’, Abrams and Russell worked together on ‘Mission: Impossible III’.
Russell is perhaps best known these days for the FX series ‘The Americans’. Prior to that, she co-starred on the sitcom ‘Running Wilde’. She also appeared in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ and provided the voice of ‘Wonder Woman’ in the 2009 animated movie. Last year, she narrated the ‘Wonder Woman’ episode of ‘Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics’.
John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o and Daisy Ridley will return for the finale of the current ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. It also seems as though Billy Dee Williams may reprise his role as Lando Calrissian. With Russell’s casting, Abrams is reportedly looking to cast two more new roles for the film.
Colin Trevorrow was expected to direct ‘Episode IX’ but “departed due to creative differences” (translation: was fired), with Abrams, who had directed ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, returning. He worked on the script with Chris Terrio. Production is expected to begin soon, for its December 21, 2019 release date.
Source: Variety
